Cabinets, cabinets, cabinets

Today was a very productive day. Chip took the day off (Kevin, the professor, has the summer off) and together we completed the plans for all of the cabinetry. We also specced all of the tile treatments for the kitchen, BBQ room, and the 3 1/2 baths.

The matte black tile in the upper left will be the backsplash for the kitchen, pantry and buffet cabinets. It will also be the backsplash for the island in the BBQ room. The grey tile, or something very similar to it, will be the flooring for all three buildings. The white tile in the upper right will be used in the guest house bath and the guest bath in the main house. The tile along the bottom will be used in the master bath. The small white sample near the middle represents our choice for the concrete countertops which will be used in all three buildings.

We found and purchased the black tile a year ago from a Porcelanosa showroom in San Jose. We really liked its modern tiki vibe and didn't want to risk it going out of production before we started the renovation. It also comes in two shades of white and a very cool red. The white we're choosing has a high gloss surface. We picked up the flooring sample at the same time but can no longer find it on their website so we'll probably have to find something else. Mike is arranging to bring his tile guy out later this week. Hopefully, he can get something which comes close. He'll also be installing the radiant heat systems underneath the tile.

At noon we had a great phone conversation with Angus, our sales rep at Plyboo. We met Angus at the Dwell on Design conference and later visited him at their store in San Francisco. We told him which of the two colors of Durapalm paneling we wanted for the guest house and what Linear Line Style Pattern we chose for the master bedroom (see below). He gave us some great tips for installation of both materials.

We also talked about our concerns with the negative review of the PlybooDex decking material we found online. He shared with us the whole background of that customer's incorrect installation and how his company very generously handled the complaints. By the end of the conversation, we were no longer worried about the product and completely convinced we were making a good choice.

And the final good news of the day: We received an email from the contemporarypull.com folks offering us a discount if we purchase more than twenty of a single style. Sometime tomorrow we'll have the final number of pulls figured out but we already know we'll be ordering more than twenty of the pull in the tile sample photo above.

Tomorrow we deliver the cabinet plan printouts to John Laughton. We have four days to clear out the guest house because demo starts on Monday!